A Game of Cat and Mouse
by ElfPrincessOfLight
Summary: 2 years before his last job in LA, Vincent is given an assignment by a powerful Mafia leader. His assignment? To execute a young witness who ends up being more than she seems.
1. Chapter 1 Arrival

Chapter 1. Arrival

The subway train slowly pulled to a stop and among all the businessmen, junkies, and other occupants, who quickly stepped off the subway eager to get on with their day, there was a man. A man few people would notice. He was the kind of man who could come and go without anyone knowing he was even there. He stepped onto the platform of the subway station, his sharp eyes surveying the entire platform and everyone there in a single glance. Then with quick, confident strides made his way up the steps of the subway station and into the cold Chicago air. Standing near the curb he tried to hail a cab. There were few cabs out today and all of them seemed to have an occupant. With a disgusted sigh he waited in the frigidly cold wind until, finally, a cab pulled up alongside the curb and stopped. The man quickly slid into the backseat, glad to be out of the freezing wind. " Where to?" the fat, shabbily dressed driver asked as he surveyed his new passenger with a critical eye. The man only spared the cabby a glance long enough to tell him the address and then settled back into his seat his eyes casting a bored glance out the window at the scene outside. Thick gray storm clouds hid the afternoon sun and a biting wind blew trash and other debris every which way in a frenzied whirl that never seemed to slow down. On the sidewalks dozens of people hurried along their own separate ways eager to get out of the frigid temperatures. He sighed and then pulled a laptop out of the briefcase he carried with him.

The cabby watched his passenger through his rearview mirror as the man tapped away at the keys of his laptop. "A businessman" the cabby thought as he surveyed the other. The man wore a well-tailored light gray business suit and black dress shoes. Clean-cut silver hair and slight beard and mustache, along with his piercing blue eyes gave the man an oddly distinguished look.

"You here on a business trip?" he asked his passenger suddenly. Talking to the passengers was against the rules and the cabby knew it, but he was bored and hoped the man was in the mood for a conversation.

The man lifted his eyes away from the computer screen, one silver eyebrow arched just slightly in question. "What?" he asked quietly, with just the slightest amount of irritation at being interrupted at his work coming out in his voice.

The cabby didn't take the hint. "A business trip" he repeated.

The man frowned and for a long moment he didn't say anything. "Yes" he said finally after a long pause.

"What do you do?" the cabby asked, glad that the man had at least answered his question and too eager to talk to someone to notice the others irritation.

"Defense attorney."

"Mmhmm, I see" the cabby said thoughtfully. "Must be interesting work you do."

The other shrugged. " Not really"

"What kind of a case are you working on now?" the cabby persisted, hoping to draw the conversation out just a little longer. He could tell the man didn't want to talk, but hoped he would keep talking anyway

"I'm not allowed to discuss the details of the case," the man said with a slight smile. He could see the driver was bored and it amused him to see the cabby struggle to keep the conversation from drawing to a close.

"Is this your first time in Chicago?"

"Yes, I'm on my way to see my client now" The man said, and then after a moments pause, added, "How long will it take us to get there?"

The cab slid to a halt in front of a red light. "About twenty minutes."

The man seemed to think about something for a moment then glanced at his watch. " I'll give you twenty dollars extra if you get me there in fifteen," He said finally.

The cabby turned so he was facing his passenger. "Twenty bucks?"

The man grinned. "Twenty bucks" he affirmed with a slight nod.

A large smile broke out on the cabby's chubby face. "Alright, you got yourself a deal."

"Mind if I time you?"

The cabby's smile grew even bigger. "No, cause I'll get you there on time. You don't gotta worry about a thing, oh and by the way, welcome to Chicago. My name's Matt." The cabby said sticking out his hand.

"Thank you" the man said as he shook the driver's hand. "I'm Vincent."

Wellwhat do you all think? please read and review.


	2. Chapter 2 Boredom

Hello everyone, well here is the next chapter. Enjoy. And don't forget to read and review.

Disclamer: I don't own Collateral(duh). I only own the characters you don't recognize(like Mkenzie)

Chapter 2. Boredom

_Drip. Drip. Drip._ The quiet noise of the leaky faucet was the only sound that broke the still silence in the dark apartment. The lone occupant slouched back in an old armchair that had been placed in the middle of the room, mere inches away from the black screen of the broken television set. The figure in the chair stirred a bit when the dripping started, her dark eyes flicking towards the direction of the sound. She watched the water drip from the faucet for about a minute then turned her eyes back to the blank television. At first glance one might have thought, with her slouched position and lazy demeanor, that perhaps she was simply too lazy to get up and turn the television on. A second glance however, would show that she was anything but lazy and relaxed. Her entire body was completely tense, as if she were going to spring from the chair at any moment. Her slender hands gripped the armrests so hard that the knuckles had turned white and a cold enraged fire smoldered within her dark eyes. Her jaw was clenched tightly as if she was struggling to prevent herself from flying into a verbal rage. The broken television, however was not the object of her anger. It was the silence.

The silence was going to drive her insane, of that Mkenzie was certain.

It was a good thing that whoever had coined the phrase "silence is golden" was dead because, if he hadn't been, she would have made sure that his life didn't last too much longer. She cocked her head to one side and listened, straining her ears, even though she had no clue what she was listening for in the first place. There was no noise save for the dripping of the leaky faucet and the whistling of the wind outside. Unfortunately these few sounds only seemed to make the silence more profound. With an irritated growl she leapt up from the armchair and headed for the door. She paused with her hand on the doorknob. Did she dare go outside? She let her hand slide off the knob and then simply stood there, staring at the door. Mkenzie let out a frustrated sigh and placed her forehead on the door and then closed her eyes. Ever since she had entered the Witness Protection Program three weeks ago she had only been outside her new apartment twice and each time she had always been on her guard. She had wanted to go out more but Mkenzie was not stupid. She knew that someday someone would be looking for her and that it would be someone she didn't want to meet.

"Well I guess that's what you get for pissing off the Mafia," she thought bitterly to herself. If only Armys hadn't been such a fool.

"Why are you being so childish?" she scolded herself. "Open the damn door and walk out." With that said she grabbed the knob and yanked the door open . . .. And leapt back with a startled yelp.

"Did I scare you?" A high-pitched childish voice squeaked with glee. Mkenzie took a deep breath to prevent her from lashing out in anger at the child.

"No, Sarah you didn't."

Sarah, who was only 8, giggled delightedly, her soft sky- blue eyes sparkling. "Yes I did." She said. "I scared you Carol."

Mkenzie inwardly cringed at the name the FBI had given her to protect her identity. "No, you didn't.

"Yes, I did."

"NO, you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No . . ." Mkenzie stopped herself. "Why am I arguing with an eight- year- old?" She thought. She shook her head. She wasn't going to bother answering that question now. "What do you want Sarah?"

Sarah grinned. "I have something for you."

Mkenzie rolled her eyes. "What do you have for me?" She said trying not to sound impatient.

"Guess."

"I despise guessing games."

If you don't guess then I won't tell you and you will never know what it is." Sarah stated gravely, as if not knowing was something Mkenzie couldn't live with.

Mkenzie couldn't help but smile at this statement. Sarah was hiding her "something" behind her back, but since Mkenzie was almost twice her height she could clearly see what Sarah was hiding.

"Are you going to guess?" Sarah asked impatiently. She wanted to show her friend what she had brought her. "Please Carol?" she begged.

"Ok, Ok I'll guess." Mkenzie said quickly. She had seen Sarah's eyes start to tear up and Mkenzie was not in the mood to comfort a crying child. "Hmmm . . ." she said, pretending to think really hard about it. "Bugs." She said finally.

Sarah made a face. "Ewww…"

Mkenzie smiled. "Well what is it then?"

Sarah smiled triumphantly and brought her gift forward.

Mkenzie cringed inwardly. Sarah had brought her a plate of homemade cookies.

"I made them myself." Sarah said proudly.

"I see, well thank you very much." Mkenzie said as she took the plate, which was piled high with what looked like chocolate chip cookies.

"Are you gonna eat one now?" Sarah asked.

"Umm…. Not right now. I just ate. I'll save them for later." Mkenzie lied, not wanting to hurt the little girl's feelings.

"Ok. I have to go now. Mamma said I have to come right back after I give them to you."

"Alright then, you had better get going then."

"Bye now Carol. When you're done with those ones I'll make you some more."

Mkenzie waited till the girl had disappeared down the hall then turning quickly placed the plate of cookies on a shelf next to the door. She would get rid of them later. Chances were, Sarah would stop by later to see how many were left.

Now, the problem was not that Mkenzie was ungrateful, the real problem was the fact that Sarah always put too much salt and not enough sugar into her "special" cookies.

"Poor Sarah." Mkenzie thought. The little girl had veryfew friends and considered Mkenzie to be her best friend. Unfortunately Sarah was a very hyper little girl who loved to talk about everything. Mkenzie was an anti- social young woman who liked being alone. Besides with the situation she was in now Mkenzie wanted to keep everybody, especially Sarah, as far away from her as possible.

Mkenzie trudged quickly down the stairs towards the front end of the building. Marcus, the landlord, greeted her as she stepped towards the front door. She nodded a hasty greeting and stepped outside. A strong blast of cold wind nearly knocked her over and she had to struggle just to keep her balance.  
"I hope there's a cab nearby." She thought as a she stood near the curb. As if on cue a yellow cab pulled up and stopped. Mkenzie was about to open the door and hop in when the door swung open and a man stepped out. From the moment she laid eyes on him Mkenzie knew there was something odd about him. She studied him intensely as he paid the driver then turned to go. He was a tall man and obviously well to do. His expensive looking gray business suit and leather briefcase seemed testimony to that. She couldn't even begin to guess at his age. His silver hair and stubble seemed to make him look older but the sharpness in his blue eyes seemed to tell of someone who was younger. At that moment however, it didn't matter to her how old he was because as he turned to go he seemed to see her for the first time. He didn't miss a beat as he stepped back and held the cab door open for her. For a brief moment their eyes locked. A cold shiver ran up her spine as he stared at her. The look in his eyes was like that of a predator who is stalking his prey. Quick as a flash she slid into the now vacant cab and pulled the door shut behind her. Too preoccupied with her own thoughts Mkenzie didn't notice that the man never left the curb till the cab was out of sight.

"Don't stay out too long my dear." Vincent whispered softly at he watched the cab leave. "I look forward to our meeting." He smiled thinly as he thought of the future. This was going to be fun. She would never see it coming.

**Vripter:** Hi. Thank you for your wonderful comments. I was very excited when I saw my story in your "Favorite Stories List." I'm glad you're enjoying the fic.I hope you liked this chapter too. Until next time, Namarie(Farewell)

**Winged Seraph: **Hi. I'm happy you're enjoying the story so far. And I;m glad to know that I got Vincent down right, because I wasn'tsure if I had it right. Well I hope you like the way it plays out. If all goes according to plan there should be a few surprises. Anyways thank you for you're kind review. Namarie(Farewell)


	3. Chapter 3 I'm telling on you

Hello everyone thanks for not abandoning my story. Sorry it took so long to update but the computer I was saving my chapters on decided to stop working so I wasn't able to update. But don't worry I'm going to be saving my chapters on another computer so I'll be able to update more often. Okay now on with the story. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Collateral. I only own the characters you don't recognize.

Chapter 3. "I'm telling on you."

As soon as the cab disappeared from sight Vincent turned and started toward the front entrance. There was no one sitting at the front desk when he walked in. Vincent already knew that there wouldn't be anyone there. Nicki, the secretary, would be watching her favorite soap opera right now and Marcus, the landlord, would be out buying whatever he felt he needed at the moment. Vincent couldn't help but smile. It was so easy to formulate a plan when people had a routine that they stuck to. He quickly made his way towards the stairs to the second floor. When he came to the landing at the top of the stairs, he paused for a moment. There was no one in sight.

"This is turning out better than expected." He thought. No one would even know he was here.

He continued walking down the hall, his eyes darting back and forth between the numbers over the doors on either side of the hall. He stopped about halfway down the hall in front the door with the number he was looking for. Number 63. He paused for a moment to make sure no one was coming then pulled out a small skeleton key from his pocket. He started to insert the key into the lock when a small voice behind him caused him to jump slightly with surprise.

"What do you think your doing?" The voice said, in a very accusing tone.

Vincent spun around in shock. There, standing in the hallway, hands on her hips, trying to look intimidating and annoyed at the same time, was a little girl. For a half a second Vincent forgot how to speak.

"Well?" The child asked impatiently.

"I'm here to visit a friend." He said quickly, looking around to see if there was anyone else around. There was no one. Vincent frowned. How had she gotten here? There had been no one there a second ago.

"Are you here to see Carol?" The girl asked.

"Yes, I'm an old friend." Vincent said patiently, hoping that she would believe him and just leave. Unfortunately, it was clear that she wasn't buying it.

"If you're a friend why are you trying to break into her apartment?" She asked haughtily, using the tone of someone whom knew exactly what you were doing and was simply asking to see what you would say.

Vincent scowled. This girl was just plain annoying. "I wasn't breaking in." He said, his eyes narrowing down to slits. "I have a key."

"Carol doesn't give her keys out to anyone." She retorted.

"She gave one to me." Vincent replied, holding up the key.

"You're a liar." The girl said defiantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Why would you say that?" Vincent said quietly, taking a step towards her.

The girl backed up. "B… because you are." She said hesitantly, suddenly unsure of how wise her actions were.

"How do you know that?" Vincent asked, his voice still quiet, but with the hint of a threat. This girl was becoming a problem.

* * *

Mkenzie strolled lazily down the cold street towards her destination. She had gotten out of the cab about three blocks from her intended stop. It didn't really matter to her; she wasn't in a hurry to get there.She sighed contentedly, not minding the biting wind that struck her face painfully. All around her people from all walks of life pushed past her eager to get out of the unfriendly weather. Mkenzie paid them no heed. She inhaled deeply, the cold air made the action rather painful, but Mkenzie didn't care. She felt alive. 

Out here, without the walls of the small apartment suffocating her at every moment, she felt free. Outside in the free air Mkenzie remembered why she was here in the first place.

Revenge.

What did it matter if she pissed off some people who really shouldn't be messed with? Whatever the cost, Armys would pay for his betrayal. Going to the FBI with information was the perfect revenge. Armys was a "respectable" man in the eyes of the world. If they knew him for what he _really _was, his reputation would be ruined. He would be ruined. However, it was not enough that he merely lose his reputation. She wanted him in prison. He had been in prison once before and he had sworn he would never go back. Being in prison would be like a slow death for him, and that was exactly what Mkenzie wanted. It was only fair that he should be punished, after all, because of his betrayal he had almost gotten her killed twice and he had succeeded in getting a close friend of hers killed.

She shook her head, banishing all thoughts of Armys from her mind. It didn't really matter any more; soon the FBI would have enough evidence to put him away for good. Everything would be finished in a few weeks time.

"Nothing to worry about." She reassured herself as she reached her destination.

* * *

Sarah wished that she had listened to her mother when she had told her not to leave the apartment. Unfortunately, the thought of being alone for a few hours while her mother went out had not been very appealing. When she had heard a noise across the hall, she had thought that Carol had come back. When she opened the door, silently since she was hoping to scare Carol again, the person she saw was not Carol. It was a man. He was doing something with the lock on Carol's door. Immediately she surmised that the man must be a robber trying to break in and, feeling very bold indeed, went out to confront him. The thought of what might happen to her if he really was a robber had never crossed her mind… until now. She stood still for a moment, wondering what she should do. When she had first spoken to him, she had felt so bold and confident, but now the man seemed very scary to her and she was suddenly unsure what to do. Should she scream? Try to run away? She quickly decided on the latter since the thing she wanted the most was to be far away from him. Sadly, before she actually tried to run she said something very foolish. 

"I'm telling on you."

The man seemed a bit confused by her statement. "What?"

She drew herself up to her full height, which wasn't very much, and spoke again.

"I'm telling on you." She repeated, then spun around and ran off.

She didn't get very far.

Before she had taken three steps a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist and lifted her off the ground and a large hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off her surprised shriek.

"You're not going anywhere." He hissed.

* * *

Uh-oh, another cliffhanger. Sorry about that people, but I couldn't resist. Well anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to read and review. All constructive criticism you might have is welcomed and appreciated.  
Oh and something else, The name"**Armys**" is pronounced "**Arimus**" 

**Winged Seraph:** Thank you so much, glad you liked the second chapter.Mkenzie didn't meet Vincent yet, but don't worry she'll meet him soon evil laugh. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope you liked this chapter. It turned out to be longer than I expected it to, but that's ok. I think people enjoy reading longer chapters. Am I right? Anyways, thanks for the kind review. Namarie

**SpadesJade: **Hi, glad you like my story. Well I hope you liked this chapter. Yeah, yeah I know, another evil cliffhanger.Lol. :-DDon't worry you shouldn't have to wait too long for chapter four(even though I think chapt.4 is going to end in a cliffhanger too evil laughter). Well anyway, thank you for your wonderful review.  
Namarie


	4. Chapter 4 If you scream, I will kill you

Ok people here is chapter four. Enjoy

Chapter 4 "If you scream, I will kill you."

Vincent scowled at the struggling child in his arms.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this thing" He thought angrily.

He glanced up and down the hallway again fully expecting someone to come strolling along and see him. There was no one, but Vincent knew that probably wouldn't last long. He had to get rid of the kid, and fast. Once again he ran through his options. There weren't many.

He could take her into the apartment, tie her up and hide her somewhere. No, she might somehow make a noise and alert his target to his presence.

He could put her in someone else's apartment and leave her there. No, too risky, while he was waiting for his target someone might discover the girl and call the police before his mission was accomplished. He vaguely realized that all the options he ran through revolved around the girl still being alive. It would be easier to simply kill her and be done with it. Vincent shook his head almost appalled by the thought. _Kill a child? No, he couldn't do that. _But what was he supposed to do with her then? He was out of options and he didn't like it.

Frustrated, Vincent cursed angrily under his breath. Suddenly the girl stopped struggling. In his surprise Vincent relaxed his grip and nearly dropped her. The hand covering her mouth slipped just a bit, but it was enough for her to get her own grip on his hand, with her teeth. Vincent swore violently and dropped her. She may have been just a small child but she could bite hard. She was a bit stunned when she landed on the floor, but at first she didn't try to run, instead she just stared at him.

"You said a bad word." She breathed, her soft sky blue eyes wide with shock.

Vincent hesitated for just a second. "What is wrong with this kid?" he thought. Here she was on the verge of being killed and she was worried about his language!

Vincent didn't waste another second on the thought, because at that moment the girl turned and ran off. Again he caught her quickly, but he wasn't prepared for what happened next. As soon as he grabbed her wrist, she turned into a miniature hurricane. She turned and kicked him hard in the shin then tried to bite the hand that was holding her all the while swinging her other fist every time he tried to grab it.

In all of his life, Vincent had never seen anything like this. The little whirlwind he was currently trying to restrain was putting up a remarkable fight. Finally, he succeeded in capturing her swinging fist and not a moment too soon. From the bottom of the stairs that led to the hallway that they were in he could hear voices. And the people who owned those voices were heading up the stairs. Vincent had to get out of the hallway and fast He glanced around and spied the open door of the apartment that the girl had come from. He would go there, but first he had to take care of the kid. As soon as she heard the voices, she had opened her mouth to cry for help, not knowing that it would prove fatal for her and the people coming up the stairs. However, Vincent was much faster than she was. He hated threatening children, but she left him with no choice. He pulled out his gun and placed it against her forehead.

"If you scream, I will kill you."

* * *

Mkenzie hesitated just inside the door to the bar, taking a moment to get used to the smells and sounds that assaulted her senses. She didn't wait too long before she ventured in, otherwise people would notice, and that was the last thing she wanted. She chose a booth near the back, in a dark secluded corner and waited. A moment later a man stepped through the door. He was tall and well built, with a handsome face, sandy colored hair and grayish-blue eyes. Mkenzie watched him carefully as his eyes scanned around the bar, finally coming to rest on her. She put her elbows on the table and laced her finger together as he approached.

"Mark" she said coolly, with a slight nod of her head.

"Hey" he murmured, glancing around nervously.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…" Mark hesitated, then with a sigh slumped back into his seat. "I don't know anymore."

"You don't know?" Mkenzie asked, sarcastically. "If Armys finds out that you were here he's going to kill you, you know that, and now you're telling me that you don't know why you're here? I find that difficult to believe." She placed her hands flat on the table and leaned forward. "You didn't follow me here for nothing Mark. Now what are you doing here?"

"I guess I just wanted to hear again why you're doing this."

Mkenzie's jaw dropped. _Oh please not this conversation again. _"Mark I already told you…" she started, exasperated.

"I know what you told me!" Mark snapped angrily.

"Lower your voice." Mkenzie hissed, glancing around to see who might have heard. A few heads had turned in their direction, but quickly looked away as she glanced up.

A waitress came by and they ordered quickly. They waited until she left and an uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Mark broke the silence first by muttering something obscene under his breath, then put his head in his hands. "Why are you doing this Zee?"

"I already told you." Mkenzie growled, resisting the urge to haul off and smack him.

"Yes, you told me why, but you won't tell me why you insist on doing it this way."

"It's the only way."

Mark shook his head. He had already had this conversation before, but at least he could try again. "It's not the only way Zee. You could…"

Mkenzie cut him off with an upraised hand. "No Mark, I won't.

"Why not?" Mark said, getting angry again.

Mkenzie didn't answer, simply shrugged her shoulders and slumped back in her seat. Mark leaned forward and put his hands on the table.

"Zee you don't have to do this. Not this way at least."

"Don't call me that." Mkenzie whispered softly

"What?"

"I said, don't call me that."

"Why not _Zee_?" Mark retorted sourly, glaring at her.

She sat up straight and glared back. "Because I said so _Mark Antony._" She sneered, putting a hard emphasis on his full name. The name he hated.

"Okay, okay…" Mark said quickly, holding up his hands, as if to ward off the verbal attack. "Sorry, but you're kind of pissing me off right now."

Mkenzie shrugged nonchalantly. "Everybody is pissed off at me right now." She grinned. "Besides it's better to be pissed off than pissed on, right?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "That was pathetic."

"So are you."

Mark started to say something back when the waitress arrived with their drinks. Mkenzie took a long drink then sat back with a contented sigh and closed her eyes, waiting for the alcohol to race through her system and calm her nerves. Mark simply stared at his and frowned, thinking. After a moment of silence he spoke.

"It won't change anything you know."

Mkenzie opened her eyes and cocked her head to one side. "Don't start." She warned.

"Nicholas is dead." Mark continued ignoring her. "Destroying Armys won't bring him back."

"It's not about Nicholas." Mkenzie snapped, her dark brown eyes flashing dangerously. Bringing up that subject was too painful and she wasn't ready to face it yet.

"Isn't it?"

"No, it's not. It's about teaching Armys that just because he's a part of the Mafia doesn't mean he can do whatever the hell he wants. He's an arrogant asshole who's crossed the line one too many times and this time his position isn't going to save him."

Actually, that was only part of the truth, because it _was_ about Nicholas, although she wouldn't ever admit it.

"So this is just about you and getting your revenge. Is that it?" Mark asked crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Why shouldn't it be?" Mkenzie hissed, struggling to keep her temper in check. "Armys almost got me killed _twice_ and Nicholas is dead because of him. Why are you trying to defend him?"

"I'm not defending Armys. Believe me, I'd like to see him dead as much as you do, but I don't want you to do something stupid because your pissed, and trust me what you're doing now is stupid. If certain people find out what you've done, you'll have more than just Armys to worry about."

"I know the risks Mark, but I also know that I can pull it off. I'm not going to testify in his trial. The FBI will have enough information to go on without me, so if I meet with an unfortunate "accident" it won't change anything. Armys goes to jail, everyone thinks I'm dead, and everyone goes home happy, the end."

" Well I hope you intend to disappear soon, otherwise your fake death may end up being real. And when I say soon I mean very soon."

Mkenzie paused for a moment to digest the information. "When?" she asked, realizing what he meant.

"I don't know, I only heard part of a phone conversation, he ordered the hit about two days ago. I don't know when it's supposed to go down. Could be today, could be tomorrow, it could be next week."

"Well that doesn't really help me much." Mkenzie said, running a hand through her shoulder length black hair. She glanced at her watch, then stood up to leave. "Listen Mark, I have to go now. She paused for a moment, then grinned. "You get the bill."

"Wait," Mark said, grabbing her wrist. "Here take these." He said pressing a small object into her palm. She frowned and looked at the object in her hand.

A cellphone.

"What the hell…?" she asked.

"Just in case."

Far a long moment she just stared at him, her dark brown eyes boring into his grayish-blue ones, as if looking for a hidden agenda. Then wordlessly she turned and walked away.

Mark stared after her until she walked out the door and disappeared from sight. "Your welcome." He said, smirking._

* * *

The footsteps on the stairs were getting closer. Vincent made the silent observation to himself as he listened through the door of the apartment. The girl was sitting in a corner near the door, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. Every now and then she would sniffle softly and wipe her tears away, but at least she was being quiet. He waited until the footsteps had passed the door and faded away then cautiously opened the door. The hallway was empty again. He walked over to the little girl, who shrank back as far as she could, grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet. Gun drawn, in case they ran into any unfortunate person, he dragged her out of the apartment. They walked quickly, Sarah's little legs practically running to keep up with Vincent's long strides. He made his way down the stairs and headed towards the parking garage attached to the apartment complex. Luck was still with him when he reached the garage; so far, he had not run into anybody. He stepped into the garage and looked around, searching for the perfect vehicle to perform his task. He started to make his way towards an old looking sedan when he heard a car pulling in. Vincent ducked quickly behind a station wagon, pulling the girl down with him. The vehicle in question, a blue Honda, pulled to stop three spaces away from where Vincent was hiding and a man stepped out. Marcus, the landlord, had apparently returned from his shopping spree. Marcus strode to the door and called out to somebody. Beside him Vincent felt the girl stiffen, apparently recognizing the voice and hoping that this would be her chance to escape. She started to move away when she felt the muzzle of a gun press into her side._

"Don't even think about it."

Vincent had to wait almost ten minutes before he could be sure that Marcus had taken all his purchases and wouldn't return. Finally, he was able to stand up. He had already started towards the sedan again when a glitter on the Honda caught his eye. He turned and groaned. Marcus had left his keys on top of his car, which meant he would probably come to look for them. Vincent would have to hurry. He stopped suddenly when an idea came into his head. He put his gun back in the holster on his side, then went over to the car, took the keys and opened the trunk. This time he wasn't so lucky in what he was looking for. He'd been hoping for some rope, but there was none. There were however, some rags and a scarf he could use. Swiftly he tied the girl the up and stuffed a rag in her mouth to keep her quiet. He shoved her into the trunk and shifted a bunch of the other junk around so she was hidden. Then he closed the trunk and walked away feeling very clever. He had just reached the door when disaster struck. Marcus had indeed come to look for his missing keys and in the process ran into Vincent. He saw the keys in Vincent's hand (Vincent had been about to pocket them) and a grin broke out on his face.

"Ah, you found my keys!" he said reaching for them.

"I was just going to turn them in." Vincent said coolly, handing the keys over, and mentally cursing the man.

"Thank you, thank you!" Marcus said quickly and stepping back to let the other through the door.

"It wasn't a problem."

Marcus started to say something when a harsh voice called out, "Marcus, get your lazy ass in here and help me!"

Vincent couldn't help but smile.

"Well thank you again, sir." Marcus said, then quickly hurried off.

Vincent hesitated a moment after Marcus left. _"Shit"_ he thought bitterly. He had intended on keeping the keys to ensure that nobody would look in that damn trunk. "_Oh well,"_ he thought, _"Shit happens. You gotta roll with it."_ With a shake of his head, he made his way back to apartment number 63 to wait.

* * *

Mkenzie reached the apartment complex tired and irritated. She started across the lobby, noting, with a quiet laugh, that Marcus had left his keys on the front desk. "Idiot." She thought as she strode towards the stairs. "Sleep, sleep, sleep." She mumbled to herself. "I want to go to sleep."

It was all she thought about as she reached her apartment and unlocked the door.

* * *

**_Runs and_ _hides from readers _**I know, I know. I'm so evil, another cursed cliffhanger. But I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Remember to drop me a review

_**Review replies**_

**SpadesJade:** Well Sarah's gotten herself into a bit of a jam. You're going to have to wait and see what _happens_ to her. Evil laugh Sorry :-D Sorry it took so long to update but school is killing me. Don't worry, I won't be abandoning this story, it's too fun to write. Lol

**Winged Seraph: **Yes, Sarah was a bad girl and now she's in a lot of trouble. But many apologies for taking so long to update, especially after I ended on a nasty cliffhanger. Sorry :-(


	5. Chapter 5 First Meetings

Well here is chapter 5 (finally) I hope you all like it. Remember to drop a review please ( reviews make me happy) :-D

Chapter5 First Meetings

Mkenzie stepped into her apartment and sighed. She ran her fingers through her dark hair and tossed the apartment keys onto the small stand next to the door. They landed with a loud clank next to the plate of cookies, left there earlier when she had hurried out. Mkenzie made a mental note to get rid of them before Sarah saw them. She closed the door behind her and started towards her bedroom when, suddenly, a warning went off in the back of her mind. She couldn't explain why, but suddenly she felt as if she wasn't alone. A cold shiver ran down her back and she stood where she was wondering what had made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her dark eyes flicked across the room, searching, then fell on the entryway to the kitchen area. Could someone be hiding there? A small noise on her left caused her to jump slightly and her eyes darted to the partially open bedroom door. The warning bells in her mind were practically screaming at her and her instincts told her that she needed to leave _now,_ but she couldn't understand why. Senses now on high alert she took a cautious step backward. She paused trying to figure out what had alerted her in the first place. Had she heard a noise? Seen a shadow move?

A flash of movement from the bedroom was the only warning she had. Without thinking, she threw herself towards the entryway to the kitchen. The first bullet, which had been aimed at her chest,hit her in the shoulder, knocking her backwards. The second bullet, which had followed quickly behind the first, grazed her arm and slammed into the wall behind her. Hot flashes of pain raced through her arm as she stumbled and nearly fell. Somehow, she managed to scramble into the kitchen and take cover behind the wall. Oddly enough, her attacker didn't immediately follow after her. A voice she didn't recognize cut through her stunned mind.

"You move quick." The voice sounded amused and perhaps a little surprised. "I'm impressed."

Mkenzie swore under her breath.

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment." She growled as she reached up with her left hand and clutched her shoulder. "Shit."

"It was meant to be one."

Mkenzie risked a quick glance around the corner. She was only slightly surprised to see the man she had seen getting out of the cab earlier. _Should have known there was something odd about him. _She thought. She could feel her blood slipping through her fingers. The feeling made her dizzy and she forced herself to concentrate her thoughts on getting out of this mess and not on the fact that if she didn't stop the bleeding soon she would probably bleed to death. That is, if he didn't kill her first.

Getting away was going to be difficult. The man was a professional and he knew what he was doing. Mkenzie looked around and saw a large kitchen knife lying on the counter. Unfortunately, she couldn't get to it, since she would have to move across the open entryway to pick it up. She had to buy herself some time.

"Armys sent you, I assume?" She said casually, as if she were speaking to an old friend instead of someone who was trying to kill her.

"Who else?"

"Figures." She mumbled

"You were expecting it though."

She scowled. "Of course I was. I just didn't know when."

"Shit" she hissed as a wave of dizziness hit her. She looked at her arm. It was completely covered in blood and she already knew the bullet was still there. "I'm definitely going to feel this tomorrow." She said aloud to herself.

The man let out a quiet chuckle. "No, you won't."

Mkenzie rolled her eyes. "Thank you for that much needed reminder, asshole." She muttered under her breath. "So what do we do now, then?"

"Do? Simple, I finish my job."

"What makes you think it's going to be that easy?"

She could almost imagine him smiling as he said, "I do this for a living."

"Really?" Mkenzie said sarcastically, "I almost don't believe that."

"Why?"

"Because your aim sucks. I've never met an assassin who missed as badly as you did."

"Obviously you must be the expert on such matters."

"Actually I am. It was my job to monitor all "personnel" who worked for the Mafia. I had access to every file on every assassin who worked for the Mafia. In fact, I wrote a lot of them. I know how assassins are supposed to operate."

There was a snort of derision and Mkenzie could have sworn that she heard, "of course you do." She couldn't really tell. Aloud he said, "Which would explain why Armys wants you dead."

"That's part of the reason."

"The other reason was Nicholas."

Mkenzie froze. _Why would Armys tell this guy about Nicholas? _She swallowed hard, "How did you know about Nicholas?"

" Armys talks a lot when he's drunk."

"Typical, at least for him. Stupid drunk bastard."

Another quiet laugh. "Almost the same thing he said about you."

The dizziness was hitting her fully now, and it was all she could do to stay standing.

_If you pass out your dead. Buy yourself more time and make it fast! _

She shook her head trying to clear away the fog in her mind. It was a mistake; the shaking only made the dizziness worse. She grabbed a rag that was sitting on the counter top on her left, and pressed it against her wound. "What did he tell you about Nicholas?"

"There wasn't really much for him to tell. Except that he died because he was stupid enough to listen to you."

Mkenzie closed her eyes and leaned even heavier against the wall.

_Stay awake! Stay awake!_

"He said that Nicholas would still be alive if you hadn't convinced him to come clean."

Mkenzie's eyes flew open at his words. They had sounded so close…

* * *

_"… because he was stupid enough to listen to you."_

Vincent paused for a moment as he listened. She didn't reply to his statement. There was only the sound of her harsh breathing. She was probably ready to pass out. He stepped forward, gun held in the firing position. She didn't even notice him until he spoke again.

But by that time he already had his gun pointed at the side of her head.

* * *

Oh so sorry for the short chapter. The next one should be up soon. Probably in a week or two, because finals are over this week. Please tell me what you think about this chapter. And I have a question for you all, how am I doing with keeping Vincent in character? Please tell me honestly. 

**SpadesJade: **ah well I'm not sure if this update was fast enough, lol. But I can assure you that the next update will be sooner since school ends soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Laurenmlbc: **Hi, welcome to the story. Glad you like it. Thank you for you wonderful comments.

**Sweet Treats: **Hi, glad you like my fic. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the rest of it too. Lots of angst and cliffhangers if I have anything to do with it. Lol

**Cleric: **Hi, thank you for your kind comments and for the punctuation tip as well. I'm glad you don't mind all the cliffhangers. Lol (there are probably going to be a lot more) :-D


	6. Chapter 6 Not all she seems

Ok here is chapter 6. I would have had it out sooner, but I ran into a few problems. You know, all the usual stuff; Writers block, getting sick, plus almost every single computer in the house doesn't work. The only one that does work wouldn't let me open the file that the chapter was saved on. I don't know why. Anyways, on with the chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 6 Not all she seems

"Holy hell!" Mkenzie yelped as she stumbled backwards. "Whoa, hold on there a second." She said, holding her hand up defensively, the other still pressing the cloth tightly against her shoulder. She continued to back up until she backed into the cupboards behind her, now having nowhere else to go.

_This is not going to end well. _ She thought, a frown crossing her face as she stared down the barrel of the assassins gun_. Damn, this guy is smart. _She mused as she eyed him, noting everything, from his stance to the way he held his gun. Yes, this guy definitely knew what he was doing. The one thing that puzzled her however, was the fact that she didn't know him. Who was he? She had written up hundreds of files on hundreds of assassins and had even, on occasion, taken the time to look up the files on assassins that had been written by others. Why then, didn't she recognize him? Then suddenly, she knew. Her line of work gave her almost unlimited knowledge of the assassins in the mafia's employ, which included their methods and how they worked. Hiring someone she knew meant that she would be able to anticipate what they would do and try to counteract it if she could. Armys knew this, so he had to hire someone she didn't know so she wouldn't be able to anticipate what he would do. Which meant that she knew absolutely nothing about this man.

_Oh, I am so screwed. _

_No, no your not. Not yet. Come on damn it! You're better than this! You've been in worse situations before. Remember that one time in Germany?_

_I'd rather not, actually._

_Ah, but don't forget, he doesn't hold all the cards yet. You may not know anything about him, but he also doesn't know everything about you either, and if you remember Armys' nasty little habit…_

"You know," the man's voice interrupted her train of thought, "I'm rather disappointed. Armys told me you would be a lot harder to kill."

"Well, if you hadn't noticed, the circumstances aren't really in my favor, now are they?" Mkenzie said. "But, hey, I do think I should congratulate you."

"For what?"

Mkenzie smirked. This just might be her ticket out of here. "For being the first one here, of course." She saw the confused look flick across his face and continued. "Oh, yes, I forgot. Armys does tend to leave out important information like that. Anyway, I meant that you are the first assassin to come after me. Armys probably didn't tell you this, but he has a bad habit of sending more than one assassin after the same person."

There was a slight pause as the man studied her, probably trying to decide if there was any truth in her words. In the end however, he apparently decided he didn't care.

"It doesn't matter." He said coolly, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Maybe not to you, but to the others? I think they might not like it. Assassins tend to get very irritated when someone else takes their job." She replied as she wound the cloth around her shoulder then tied it off using her free hand and her teeth. "And I'll bet they aren't too far behind you."

They both heard the noise at the same time; a soft rustling of footsteps on the carpet. The man's eyes flicked towards the entryway to the living room then, ducked backwards as a barrage of gunfire hit the wall, muffled by the silencer over the barrel.

"Vincent you son of a btch!" A man's voice screamed furiously.

"Friend of yours?" Mkenzie asked a slight smirk plastered on her face.

Vincent didn't answer. He leaned against the wall, eyes closed, listening. Another series of gunshots splattered against the wall, then, the soft click of a magazine being ejected. Vincent stepped into the entryway and fired. The man, who had just reloaded his weapon, didn't have time to move out of the way. Two bullets in the chest and one in the head ended the issue quickly. Mkenzie knew this was her time to act. As soon as Vincent turned and began to fire she leapt forward. He saw the motion and turned, but didn't have enough time to bring the barrel of the gun in her direction. A high kick sent the weapon flying out of his hands and into the living room, where it landed with a clatter next to the body of the other man. Another hard kick sent him stumbling backwards.

"Didn't I tell you? And he's not the only one." Mkenzie said as she slowly backed into the living room.

Vincent stood up and started towards her, his eyes never leaving her face. He was watching, waiting for her to make a move, and he already knew what her next move would be. She would go for the gun. It was her only chance and he knew she would go for it. He would let her pick it up, but she would never fire it.

Mkenzie paused next to the body of the other man. She looked down at it.

"Kevin Johnson" She said calmly. "New to the trade and not very smart I might add. Any idiot should know you don't simply empty your gun like that, and right out in the open too."

"They often make the mistake of overconfidence." Vincent said coolly his gaze never wavering from his target's face.

"Kevin did that a lot. To tell you the truth I'm surprised he lived this long, especially with the way he liked to screw things up." She laughed "You did Armys a favor I think; too bad you won't get paid for that one."

"No, but I expect to get paid for another."

She didn't answer. Vincent saw her gaze shift, for just a second, down to the gun at her feet.

Then she went after it.

As soon as she moved Vincent jumped forward, bringing out his switchblade at the same time. He spun her around and brought the knife to her throat. She dropped the gun and grabbed his arm, trying to pull the knife away from her neck. Almost simultaneously she kicked upwards and hit him in the face with her knee. Vincent jerked backwards and dropped the knife, but regained his balance quickly and swiftly kicked her legs out from under her. She landed on her back, rolled and the next thing he knew she had his gun in her hand and it was pointed at him. He backed up slightly and she stood up, her eyes blazing, and then she just stood there, unmoving.

_Well, what are you waiting for? Shoot him!_

_I…I can't._

_You can't? Yes, you can! Just pull the damn trigger!_

_No, I won't go back to that._

_It doesn't matter what you want. Whatever you try to do, it will always be a part of you._

Vincent watched her for a moment, and then smiled. She couldn't shoot him. However she tried to threaten him, she would never pull that trigger. He took a step toward her. "Put the gun down Juanita."

Mkenzie's jaw dropped. "Excuse me? Drop the gun? Are you insane?"

"You won't pull that trigger; I can see it in you eyes. You won't do it. You write files on assassins, you might know how they work, but I doubt you even know how to handle that thing."

Mkenzie scowled and chewed her lower lip. "You must think you're really smart, don't you?"

Vincent's lip twitched slightly. "Like I said, I do this for a living."

"Ah, but didn't Armys tell you?" She retorted, as she slid back the hammer on the weapon. "So do I."

Vincent reacted faster than Mkenzie did. He reached his hand out and pushed the gun to the side. Reflexively, Mkenzie pulled the trigger. Vincent twisted the weapon out of her hand and slammed his fist into the side of her head. She stumbled and fell, but with the adrenaline rushing through her veins she recovered quickly and lashed her foot out, catching him in the knee. Her hand touched something metallic and she hastily snatched up Vincent's switchblade. Her hard kick had slowed him, but only slightly and she had about three seconds before he recovered and shot her. Three seconds was all she needed. Mkenzie flicked her wrist and the switchblade flew from her fingers. Her aim however was spoilt by the fact that she had used her injured arm. The knife sliced across the side of Vincent's neck, not enough to kill him, but enough to make him stumble backwards and trip over Kevin's body. Mkenzie saw her chance and leapt up and sprang for the door. She didn't like the idea of running away, but Mkenzie wasn't stupid. She was injured and knew that she could not hope to win this fight. Especially if she couldn't make herself kill him, even if she got the chance. She tore open the door and ran. As she entered the hall a bullet whizzed by her head and hit the wall. By now the adrenaline rush was wearing off, but even though she was weak and dizzy, she somehow managed to reach the lobby a head of Vincent. Frantically she looked around, and suddenly she saw her means of escape. Marcus' keys were still on the front desk, where she had seen them earlier. Hastily she snatched them up and ran to the door to the parking garage. _Please be somewhere close, _she prayed. Luck was with her this time. Almost as soon as she entered the garage she spied the blue Honda nestled between a red Volvo and a black Toyota. She hastily unlocked the door, expecting Vincent to enter at any moment, then threw open the door and climbed in. Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely fit the key into the ignition. _No idea how the hell I'm going to be able to drive this thing._ She thought when she finally got it started and pulled out, not paying attention to the small noises coming from the trunk.

Vincent swore violently as he jumped up and raced after his target. He entered the lobby, his sharp eyes searching, completely ignoring the couple staring at him in terror. He hesitated for just a moment to consider which way she might have gone. There were more options than he liked. The front entrance was the most likely choice, but there was also the elevator, the parking garage and two emergency exits. He paused, and then saw the trail of blood that led toward the garage. When he entered the garage he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The blue Honda that he had put the little girl into was being driven away; driven away by his target. Vincent raised his gun and fired rapidly into the back window of the car. The glass shattered and there was a cry of pain, indicating that he had hit. However, it apparently hadn't injured her enough, because the vehicle was still rapidly disappearing from sight.

For a long moment Vincent just stood there staring at the place where the car had disappeared, her last words still ringing in his ears.

_So do I._

Juanita Montoya was an assassin? He had been through her entire file and that information had not been in there. Why hadn't Armys told him? She had worked for him for seven years, he would have known. That little tidbit of information was not something one simply left out. But, wait. Juanita wrote the files for most of the assassins under the employ of the mafia, which meant that she would have had access to her own file. She could have deleted it. However that still raised the question; did Armys know or not? That was what he was going to find out.

Vincent turned and started back towards the apartments; he had left his bag in the room and needed to retrieve it before the police showed up. He stopped for a moment a glanced back for one last look at the place she had left.

"Enjoy your freedom while it lasts Juanita." He said coldly, "This is far from over." Then he turned and left.

Oh yes, this was far from over, but first Armys had some explaining to do.

* * *

Ooooh, did you like this chapter? It was so hard to write. Well tell me what you all think. Was anyone disappointed?

**Review Replies**

**Piper:** Oh yes, Mkenzie is in a lot of trouble, and unfortunately for her, it's only going to get worse.

**SpadesJade: **Ah, sorry to make you wait so long (I had some problems, especially with the computer). I hope you weren't disappointed with this chapter (it was really hard trying to keep Vincent in character. I hope I did a good job though.)

**Laurenmlbc:** Well I tried to update as soon as I could, but I had some trouble. But don't worry the net chapter will be coming real soon.

**Cleric7: **I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you liked this one too.

**Nicolina: **Well, now you know how she got away. Unfortunately for her, she won't be out of trouble for too much longer.


	7. Chapter 7 Enter the FBI

Ok here is chapter 7. Enjoy :-D And don't forget to leave a review (They make me very very happy)

Chapter 7 Enter the FBI

Detective William Stevens stared at the mess in front of him in complete silence. A veteran detective in his early forties, he had seen worse. He didn't say a word as he walked around the apartment, brown eyes darting back and forth as he surveyed the scene. Silently he stepped around the body on the floor and stopped to watch the man currently dusting for prints on a nearby table. The man cringed slightly at the other's scrutiny of his work. Everyone else in the room went about their own work quickly and efficiently, making sure to give the detective plenty of space… as they all waited for the inevitable explosion to occur. It was well known to all of them that Detective Stevens had a violent temper and given the right circumstances would verbally lash out at anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. The fact that Juanita Montoya, Steven's prime witness in his case against Armys Delgado, had disappeared, her apartment in shambles, and the end result of an apparent gunfight lying on the floor was enough to make all the police officers and Crime Scene Investigators wish they were somewhere else. Oddly enough the explosion they were all waiting for never happened. Instead, he turned and approached a tall young man in his early thirties, with light brown hair and blue eyes, who was currently writing something down on a pad of paper.

Agent John Ferrera swallowed hard as Stevens approached him then waited for the other man to speak. For a long moment Stevens pierced Ferrera with his cold gaze, without saying anything, and then, very calmly asked,

"What happened here?"

Ferrera hesitated, unsure of what to say. The wrong words could set off Stevens' infamous temper in a heartbeat.

He swallowed again. "I…I haven't had enough time to collect all the details sir. I just arrived here a few minutes ago." He said carefully. He didn't know why he addressed Stevens as "sir". Stevens should be the one explaining things to him, not frowning at him as he were a teenager who had spoken out of line, after all Ferrera was a member of the FBI and he had the authority over Stevens, even if Stevens was ten years his senior.

Stevens sighed, almost like he was wondering why he had wasted his time, then nodded and turned away. "It looks like a gunfight broke out…" Ferrera started.

Before he was even able to finish his sentence, he knew he had made a mistake. Stevens spun around and narrowed his eyes at Ferrera. Ferrera froze, not noticing the room had gone quiet and most of the people were now looking at him. He opened his mouth, hoping he could say something useful, but Stevens spoke first.

"Is that all you learned?" He asked quietly and calmly, but he had an edge in his voice like he was trying not to yell.

"Yes, sir." Ferrera said, trying to look eye to eye with the other man.

Stevens sighed again. "If that's all you have learned then I'm afraid you are not much use here. I think you should leave."

Ferrera frowned. He knew Stevens didn't like anyone in the FBI; especially the agents that he thought had taken credit for many of his cases. Agents like John Ferrera.

"I only just arrived Will, and I don't think my superiors would like it if I just left without gathering all the facts."

"You mean you don't want to leave until you have enough information to steal my case."

"Juanita Montoya is connected too closely with Armys Delgado. We can't allow Armys to get off again. Now, the FBI is officially taking over this case and…"

"Juanita Montoya is my witness, she's gone and it looks to me like Armys hired someone to get rid of her. This case is mine." Stevens started to walk away then stopped. "And don't ever call me Will again." He turned towards an officer standing nearby. "Ok Tom, enlighten me. What exactly happened here?"

"Sir, I must protest…" Ferrera said exasperated, interrupting the officer as he started to speak.

"Must you really?" Stevens asked patronizingly, looking at Ferrera as if he were a child that needed to be placated, but his words were full of sarcasm and disdain. "Because it really does annoy most people and it does absolutely no good when the person you are protesting to isn't listening."

Ferrera grimaced and, gathering up his courage said, "Will, I don't want to throw you completely off this case, but I can't have you getting in the way. Now, you can either cooperate or get yourself assigned to a desk job."

Stevens' lip twitched slightly "Do you even know anything about this case or did you just volunteer so you could feel special?"

"I know enough about the case, my superiors said you would fill me in on the rest."

"You're out of your mind."

"Maybe, but you still…"

"Alright, alright!" Stevens snarled, "Just step outside and give me a minute to talk to these guys."

"Step outside? Why?"

"Because I don't like you. Now get out."

Ferrera scowled, but complied. There was no use in staying really; if he stayed Stevens would simply make sure he didn't learn anything. That was Stevens alright. Even if he was taken off the case, Stevens would somehow make sure that Ferrera still came to him for information. Ferrera waited for over an hour before Stevens finally walked out. He walked right by Ferrera without so much as a glance and continued down the hall towards the lobby. Ferrera fell in step behind him, wanting to ask questions, but afraid of what Stevens might do.

"What do you already know about the case?" Stevens asked suddenly as he stepped out into the windy streets.

"Juanita Montoya, high- level player in the Italian Mafia, wants some sort of revenge against Armys Delgado and decides to come clean and help put him away."

"Is that it?" Stevens asked, frowning, "Surely you would know more than that."

Ferrera's face turned red. "That's all I was told. You know the rest, I assume?"

Stevens rolled his eyes, and then sighed in resignation. There was no use fighting anymore. The FBI had already taken his case, he might as well give Ferrera the information now and spare himself the trouble later.

"Juanita was the file- keeper for the Mafia. A lot of the files on the various assassins we've been able to get our hands on were written by her. She also had access to the various "projects" the Mafia was planning."

Stevens stopped by a black Sedan parked by the curb. He opened the front passenger side door and reached inside.

"Here, take this." He said, handing a black file folder to Ferrera. Ferrera took the folder and opened it. On the very front page was a picture of a young Portuguese woman in her mid twenties, with an olive complexion, shoulder length wavy black hair and dark brown eyes.

"I thought the Mafia didn't let non- Italians get so high up." Ferrera said as he studied the picture.

"They don't." Stevens said as he closed the car door and started walking away. "She had connections though. Her foster father, Nicholas, was pretty high up and was able to pull a few strings."

"Where are you going?" Ferrera asked suddenly, when he realized that Stevens was walking _away_ from the apartment instead of back towards it.

"Coffee." Stevens mumbled.

"Ah."

They walked in silence for a minute or two when Ferrera remembered something Stevens had said.

"What did you say her father's name was?"

"Nicholas." And he's not her biological father, he's her adopted father."

Ferrera stopped walking. "Nicholas?" He asked incredulously, "Nicholas _Montoya?_ You've got to be kidding me. I mean I realized they shared the same last name, but I didn't think they were related, especially after looking at that picture.

Stevens shook his head. _How did the FBI get to hiring an idiot like John Ferrera?_ He thought. "Nicholas Montoya was the Mafia's number one assassin. I mean, this guy was one of the best." He said, "Somewhere along the line however, Nicholas did something that really pissed Armys off, we're not sure what exactly, but Armys had him executed. His foster daughter, Juanita, decides to pay him back by ruining his life. Well, as you can imagine Armys wasn't too happy about that. We now know what he planned to do about it. Oddly enough, we think that Mark Antony, Nicholas' biological son, is still working for Armys. Mark is the Mafia's main contact for their assassins. Why Armys hasn't killed him yet is beyond me, but then, Armys always was arrogant. He probably doesn't think of Mark as a threat."

Ferrera digested the information for a moment. "I'm confused." He said slowly.

"Surprise, Surprise." Stevens mumbled.

"I meant the name. Montoya? It doesn't sound like an Italian name."

"It isn't, and it isn't Nicholas' real last name either. He changed it, but we were never able to find out what his real last name was."

"Interesting choice though."

"I suppose." Stevens said carefully, suddenly very suspicious of Ferrera. The FBI wasn't stupid and they didn't simply send agents into a case without giving them all the information they had to offer. Ferrera should already know about Juanita, why didn't he?

"So, what made Juanita decide to come to us?" Ferrera asked casually.

That was too much for Stevens. "Ok, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he said fiercely, glaring down at the other man. Ferrera looked surprised.

"Excuse me?" He asked carefully, looking at Stevens as if he were insane.

"The FBI didn't give you this case did they?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, you little shit. The FBI doesn't send agents out without giving them all the information they got, and you don't know a damn thing about this case. Now what the hell are you trying to pull?"

"Look Will, I know you want to believe I'm trying to steal your case, but you've got it all wrong."

Stevens crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Well then, enlighten me."

Ferrera swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very small.

"I…" he started.

"Detective Stevens!" A voice behind them called out.

Ferrera let out a sigh of relief. Thank heavens he hadn't had to answer! That definitely would have set off Stevens temper, and Ferrera had a feeling Stevens wouldn't have stopped with just a verbal attack.

"Detective Stevens!" The voice called out again.

Stevens threw one last deadly glare at Ferrera, and then turned around to face Officer Thomas White, a short thin man with fiery red hair, freckles and shifty green eyes, who looked more like a nerd in high- school then a police officer working to join the SWAT team. White was out of breath when he reached the other men, having had to run to catch up with them.

"Detective I think you should take a look at this." White said breathlessly.

"What is it?"

White beckoned with his hand and started to turn away. "It's easier to explain if I show you."

Steven nodded and started to follow White back to the apartment. Ferrera started to follow as well, but was stopped by Stevens.

"You, stay out of this." He growled.

"Will…"

You little shit! I told you not to call me that. Stay the hell out of this. This is NOT your case." Stevens snapped, finally starting to lose his temper. Then without another word he turned and walked away. This time Ferrera did not follow. Instead he stood there, gripping the file folder tightly in his left hand, the other hand balled into a tight fist. He glared furiously at Stevens receding back. He had never felt so humiliated. Stevens would pay for that.

"I hope you're fond of desk jobs," he growled quietly, "because that's all you're going to get for a long time."

* * *

**Review Replies**

**SpadesJade:** I know what you mean. That chapter was the hardest to write. It's the first time I got a severe case of writer block. I'm glad you liked the end of the chapter; I had a fun time writing it. Hope you liked this chapter and I'll be trying to update sooner, but I have a feeling that my computer problems are only beginning (I should really invest in a flash drive I think. Lol)

**Spanish Inquisition:** Hi, welcome to the story. I'm glad you liked it. I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic. (And if you have any constructive criticism please don't hesitate to tell me.) :-D

**Strgazer:** Hello :-D. Glad you like my fic. I hope you liked this chapter. The next chapter should be up soon (computer permitting. Lol)


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